The cracks in the glass ceiling for women are slowly getting wider. Though the pay gap remains, we're meeting women in high-powered roles every day, and the female (and feminist) presence in the working population is growing fast. That's pretty darn awesome. The field of big-shot charities, however, has been slow to change — until recently.

With the news of Spanx founder Sara Blakely becoming the first self-made female billionaire to join The Giving Pledge, the relationship between women and big philanthropy is strengthening. More and more women are standing up and using the resources they have to support and further their commitment to the economic development of women the world over. In an article posted on Fast Company, Sheryl WuDunn, co-author of Half the Sky, says, "A future indicator for a developing economy is its treatment of women." Indeed, a bevy of recent studies suggest that women in executive and boardroom positions can increase company success and profits.

Fast Company predicts that by 2024, the average American woman will earn more than the average American man. Which, presumably, means that more will ascend in the philanthropic fields. Co.Exist questions whether or not financial duties will be run differently as more women rise in the job world, but that shouldn't be the main issue. What matters, and more importantly, what our focus should be, is how we can get more women to break through this glass ceiling and follow the standard that women like Blakely and Laurene Powell Jobs have set. They've raised the bar for future female billionaires, and we have no doubt that the future holds many more. As women continue to represent a powerful portion of consumers, it's only natural that they should make waves on the other side of the process, too. (Co.Exist)